SUPERDUPERMAN II

SUPERMAN II (1980)
dir: Richard Lester

SUPERDUPERMAN II
MAD #226, October 1981
w: Frank Jacobs
a: Mort Drucker

The first few minutes feature a condensed version of the first movie, except that Marlon Brando was in the first one as Jor-El. Kal-El's father. General Zod (Terence Stamp), Ursa (Sarah Douglas), and Non (Jack O;Halloran) are found guilty on the planet Krypton for treason and sentenced to the Phantom Zone, a pane of glass that floats into space. Krypton is about to explode so Jor-el's wife Lara (Susanna York) sends her only son Kal-El to Earth. Kal-El lands and is discovered by the Kents, who raise him as their own child, Clark. When Pa Kent Dies, Clark (Christopher Reeve) seeks life in the city of Metropolis as a newspaper reporter at the Daily Planet. As Superman, Clark has a “will they or won't they” relationship with co-worker Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), and brings his arch enemy Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) to justice. *Whew!*

George Reeves was the actor who played Superman in the TV series a few decades earlier.

Clark Kent hears from his boss Perry White (Jackie Cooper) that Lois Lane is doing a report at the Eiffel tower, and has just found out it has a bomb planted inside it. Lois tries to investigate it for an inside scoop she hopes will make her famous, but it puts her in danger and is saved in time by Superman. The bomb is in the elevator, which Superman throws up into space, and it hits the Phantom Zone, breaking it and freeing Zod, Ursa, and Non.

$4.00 for a cup of coffee sounds about right but would have worked as a joke in 1981.

Clark and Lois are on assignment in Niagara Falls and pose as a married couple while they stay at a sleazy hotel. They go sightseeing and Clark leaves so that he can turn into Superman and save a falling child. Lois figures out Clark Kent and Superman are the same person, confronting him with it, which he denies. Lex Luthor has escaped from jail and with his girlfriend Eve Teschmacher (Valerie Perrine) go to the North Pole to go to Superman's Fortress of Solitude, which contains all knowledge of Earth.

Zod, with his crew have invaded the town of East Houston, Idaho, demanding to know the leaders of Earth. The army tries to stop them but can't.

They wreak havoc on Earth and find out from the army the President (E.G.Marshall) is commander-in-chief of the military and therefore the one they need to meet.

Clark Kent finally admits to Lois Lane that he and Superman are the same person. He brings her to the Fortress of Solitude and tells his the ghost of his mother they are in love. She tells him the only way they can consummate their relationship is if he gives up his superpowers and becomes a mortal, which he does. The happy couple travels back home, and stops along at a diner, where they get hassled by one of the locals.

Clark is beaten up by a redneck for wanting his seat back, then he and Lois see on the TV that the President needs Superman's help to stop Zod, Ursa, and Non from taking over the world. Clark now regrets his decision and has to go back to the Fortress of Solitude and become Superman again. Zod and his crew wreck the White House, and afterwards Lex Luthor comes in and tells them he'll make a deal with them—he'll tell them all they need to know about Superman, who is really Kal-El, son of Jor-El, who sentenced them to the Phantom Zone, in exchange for ownership of Australia.

Aside: In the movie, the people at the diner turn off the TV when the President is done speaking. You ever notice that in a movie or TV show that whenever there's an emergency report on TV, someone turns off the TV immediately after it's over? Why is that?

Zod, Ursa, and Non look for Superman at the Daily Planet. He shows up and has a big fight with them on that block in Metropolis.

NYC mayor Ed Koch makes an appearance in the parody.

Zod, Ursa, and Non chase Superman to his Fortress of Solitude with Lex in tow. Superman tricks them into entering the molecular chamber, which makes them into mortals. Lex thinks it was his idea and wants credit for it, but Superman isn't having it. Later on, Lois tells Clark she's upset they can't be together now that he's changed back, he kisses her, making her forget everything that ever happened between them.

Here was the back cover for that same issue.

The South American edition.

The German one.

The Portuguese edition. Did they reprint the Kurtzman/Wood Flash Gordon parody or do a new one?

WHAT CHRISTOPHER REEVE WILL BE LIKE WHEN HE GETS OLD
Cracked #183, December 1981
a: Samuel Whitehead

Unfortunately, we know what happened to Christopher Reeve when he got old.

cover for Kaputt, the German version of Cracked.

SOOPERMAN, TOO!
Crazy #81, December 1981
w: Paul Kupperberg
a: Bob Camp

There's Teen-Hulk on the cover. They were doing all these different versions so they could have the trademark.

Zod, Ursa, and, Non wreaked havoc on the Moon before they came to Earth.